healthy eating

I read many articles about early childhood development for my profession. Monday, I was doing my normal perusing through new research and early childhood ed blogs when I stumbled across a statistic that made my heart stop:

The first years of life have a substantial impact on the disproportionate rates of obesity seen later in childhood, especially among racial and ethnic minorities.

Among 2-5 year olds, Hispanic children have rates of obesity five times higher than non-Hispanic white children.

Non-Hispanic Black children have rates three times higher than white children.

The article this statistic came from was about how the first 1,000 days of a child’s life can impact childhood obesity. You can access the full article here. I was astounded by the fact that black children are at such a higher risk of childhood obesity than white children. Once my shock subsided, I right away began to think of how important it is as parents to make sure that we are decreasing their chances of being obese. So here are just a few tips you can begin implementing right now with your children to lead them towards a healthier life from the beginning.

Give your toddler water instead of juice. Yes, we all have sweet decadent memories of the excitement that an ice cold glass of Kool-Aid gave us as children. And yes, I know that your baby would rather drink juice. But the amount of sugar in many of those drinks are giving our babie copious amounts of calories without satiating their hunger or thirst. You may think that natural fruit juice is better, but even those are chock full of sugar. You’d be better giving them an actual apple instead of apple juice. If your toddler says they are thirsty, offer water first.

Stop the “clean your plate” campaign. Woo, I know this suggestion is going to rub a whole bunch of people the wrong way. Many of us grew up in homes where if it was put on your plate, you had to eat it all. So we grow up thinking that we have to do the same thing. We have to stop this mindset. For one, a lot of the time, the serving size we give toddlers is way too much for their little bodies. Also, most doctors will tell you that a baby knows when they are full. Forcing them to eat beyond their fullness teaches them to ignore the satiety signals their bodies give them which turns into a habit of overeating. I know that part of the idea behind cleaning your plate comes from the fear of the child not eating enough. But I’ve heard a quote that changed my perspective, “a child will never starve if the food is available to them”. Basically, as long as food is there and the toddler is hungry, they will eat. No need to force them.

Adopt healthy eating habits yourself. Toddlers want what they see their parents have. Your toddler isn’t going to want to drink water if they see you downing a Pepsi every chance you get. When you snack, switch out that bag of Grippos for hummus and veggies. If you start these habits early, you’re setting them up to have healthy eating habits for life. Then they won’t have to be 30 trying to adjust their taste buds to healthier choices. Trust me, I’m currently learning how to make these changes and it’s hard. But my 1 year old loves foods like kale chips, rice cakes, and brussel sprouts because she’s getting that exposure to them now.

With that being said, don’t give up if they say they don’t like it. Of course they’re not going to like all of these new healthy choices right away. You probably won’t like all of them on first taste. We can’t let that discourage us. It can take a child at least 12 times of being exposed to a new food before they accept it. Stick with it, keep encouraging them to try it and one day they will!

Engage in active play with your child. Turn off the TV, get off the couch, and PLAY. Part of why this generation of children would rather sit around on their devices is because WE sit around on our devices. I know this because I’m guilty of it. It can be hard especially after working a full day to get up and do something active. There are so many benefits for both you and your baby of engaging in active play. Have a dance party, go outside and chase bubbles, or play tag. Just do something to get the both of you moving. Remember, children are looking up to you and want to do what you are. Be that healthy living role model.

The great thing about most of these tips are that they encourage collaboration between you and your child. As you’re teaching them to be healthy, it will also have a reciprocal effect on your own health. Building a healthy lifestyle as a family is a beautiful thing!

Keeping Our Children Healthy! was last modified: April 1st, 2016 by Brimo the Teaching Mama

In January, M. Lauren and Jas bought 4 week Groupons for Fit Body Boot Camp. Together, they decided to try some of the various boot camp classes, take their eating habits to the next level and prepare for a summer trip to Toronto.

Two weeks into the Groupon, they each decided to extend their membership at FBBC for six months. Over the course of the last two months they have tried all of the classes offered, skipped more classes than they attended (mostly M. Lauren) and pigged out almost every weekend on all the snacks!

But, last week, after some inner reflection and peer pressure, they both decided to step it up!!

Catch them on MMR! each week as they detail their individual and collective journey towards fitness and health.

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What are your current fitness goals?

M. Lauren: I want to look good in clothes and naked, whether anyone sees me or not. I really want to build healthy habits so that fitness isn’t a goal but a lifestyle for me. I really love snacks, so one of my goals is to eat much healthier on a regular basis, not just for a couple of days at a time.

Jas: I want to burn a lot of body fat. I am usually between 32 and 33 percent would like to get down to and maintain 27 percent. Being in the military my maximum weight that i am allowed to weight is 176 lbs so i would also like to exceed that standard and weigh 170lbs.

What do you think will be your biggest struggle?

M. Lauren: I am supremely lazy. My number one hobby is watching Netflix. I would rather eat snacks and watch reruns of The Office than go to the gym. Time will also be a struggle so, that, combined with my sloth-like nature will challenge me.

Jas: Well for me time is an issue because I recently got involved in so many projects, so I have to dedicate myself to waking up early and getting to the gym in the morning. If i wait until the after noon I am sure to skip. Also I like foods that dont like me back.

What do you expect to be your biggest accomplishment?

M. Lauren: To achieve my fitness goals, finally. This boot camp is literally the hardest workout I’ve ever purposefully involved myself in and I have done some pretty intense workouts (including, Insanity). With consistency I hope to be stronger, more fit and keep the areas in tact that I love while shaping up some of those that I don’t like as much.

Jas: I am not entirely sure. For me I just want to hit my markers, and then exceed the standards I have set for myself and maintain a healthy life style.

What is your fitness motto?

M. Lauren:

“Glitter and booty shorts.”

I told my friends that the only thing I was wearing on our summer trip would be glitter and booty shorts and while I didn’t mean it literally (mostly because I have no idea how I would obtain that much glitter), I do intend to be fit enough to wear whatever I want, when the mood strikes.

Jas:

“Do it for the monokini!”

When I was deployed to Afghanistan my workout partner was obsessed with monokinis and obsessed with getting her body into one of them and looking amazing. So that became our mantra. It has stuck with me ever since.

The Jasmine’s Take Fitness :: An Introduction was last modified: March 8th, 2016 by m. lauren